r’s first communion

Posted on May 16, 2016 by tandem in love

so proud and excited for my little nephew to receive his first communion!

our plan was to get to the church early and we actually succeeded! i am amazed that we did! the parking lot was already packed but we found parking just fine. we headed inside and we immediately ran into terry. he directed us where to go and we found kim, reagan, and bennett sitting in a pew.

we waited around for everyone else to show and for the mass to begin. the ceremony was a lot quicker than i thought with sixty kids being welcomed! olive was being super cute in her daddy’s arms. she was being so sweet, so calm, and so good.

it was then time for reagan to receive his first communion. i was so excited and proud! i couldn’t wait! our entire pew walked up and i was definitely the crazy aunt with the camera, snapping pics non-stop! i did get a few good ones…although i should have played around with my setting because all the pics were sooooo red/orange in color – so annoying!

after church, we all hung out for a bit but i couldn’t hang for long…i was way too hungry and tired! i felt bad i didn’t stick around for more pics but when i don’t eat…i get exhausted and sick! so, we swung by starbucks to grab drinks and snacks before we hit the restaurant.

loved the place my sister and brother chose for the lunch. it’s a place called neat kitchen and it was super cute and they had super yummy eats! we had our own private room and it was great to let the kids run around and we just relaxed in a comfortable environment. we enjoyed tasty libations and mingled with all the other guests. olive was having a blast with her cousins and avery. when this babe feels comfortable, she is just a gem.

the food was finally served and it was soooo good! we had a great time trying all the dishes and all the flavors that was presented before us. olive ate like a champ! it goes to show how delicious it was when this babe eats and eats and eats! woo hoo!

it was time for dessert and the pretty cake was adorned with my handmade cake topper for reagan! i must admit, i loved how it turned out! i was at the craft store with miss olive, with no plans and little ideas in mind as i pursued the aisles of trinkets. i looked at different cake topper ideas on the internet and i just wasn’t sure what i wanted to do! plus, try having a toddler with ya when you are trying to figure it out! every two seconds, “what’s this? what’s this? what’s this?” hahaha! oh my! i finally grabbed the supplies i needed in hopes that this cake topper would miraculously look fabulous and that i had grabbed all the materials i would need! well, it turned out perfect for my perfect little nephew!

after cake was served, we hung out just for a bit more and then said our goodbyes. it was a really awesome morning and afternoon with friends and family. i enjoyed my time at church, at the restaurant, and most of all…celebrating my nephews journey to christ’s table. it was a great day indeed!

[playing peek a boo with her sunnies]

[awww, uncle dan and b]

[olive saw reagan and wanted to go sit in his arms…melting]

[receiving his first communion]

[seriously, b is always making a funny face]

[such a sweet pic of olive and o vuong]

[the pretty flower centerpieces kim made]

[reagan is always soooooo sweet to her]

[love these three…soon to be four!]

[neat kitchen was super yummy!]

[hostess with the mostess!]

[sisters]

[best guy ever]

[dapper dudes…so cute!]

[she loooooves to play with balloons]

[mom and o vuong]

[dan and thuy]

[kim and lan]

[my love…she’s the cutest]

[isn’t he so handsome?! he’s so proud too! i love it!]

[my diy cake topper for r’s cake]

[aren’t they so cute together?!]

xoxo

dana’s bridal shower

Posted on May 12, 2016 by tandem in love

i was so looking forward to this day! i couldn’t wait to celebrate with dana!

i love this gal. i know i tend to say this about a lot of my friends…but hey, shouldn’t friends be this awesome?!! she is so stinkin’ sweet, kind, loving, fashionable, and soooooo flippin’ funny!! i love her quirky nature, her love for sharks and rainbows. her lighthearted take on life. she’s a gem.

well, this babe is getting married this july. i am crossing my fingers this little lady in my belly stays put until after dana and scott’s wedding! do you hear that little baby girl? i must go to their wedding!!! you can come on out anytime after that!

as soon as i received dana’s shower invite, i perused her registry and snatched up a few pretties for this bride to be. her shower was in lincoln park at mon ami gabi and i have never ever been there! maybe it is because i have eaten at the one in the ‘burbs and have tried it, so i never had the need to eat there in the city but for some reason, i always thought it was closer to armitage near cafe babareeba but nope. it’s near lincoln park zoo!

i arrived a bit late, naturally, but the party had just started! i was super psyched that dana was sitting at our table. i was able to catch up with her and her other friends. can i just say she was wearing the most beautiful skirt! i was in love! it was so pretty, romantic, and beautiful. i love dana and her fashion choices…she’s always so vibrant and eclectic!

we ate, chit chatted, and had a lot of laughs! after lunch was served, the men came bouncing in. dana’s dad, scott, uncle, etc. came to join the party! they played a fun game and then the gift unwrapping began and the fun ensued! i was quite surprised how fast they went through everything because, let me tell ya, there was huge mound of gifts! more like a mountain of gifts!

after all the gifts were opened, everyone started to say their goodbyes. it was such a fun afternoon! i had a swell time seeing everyone in dana’s life and i had the best time seeing dana! i seriously can’t wait to celebrate their marriage this summer…right baby girl?!! haha!

[celebrating this beautiful lady]

[dana and emily]

[yummy french toast]

[heinz…like the ketchup?]

[dana and lindsey]

[my favorite…profiteroles]

[playing a fun game]

[the beautiful couple]

[there were so many gifts…a huge tower]

[that’s my gift…the orange wrapped one!]

[her bouquet of ribbons]

[scott and his mom]

[dana and irina]

xoxo

mommy and me hairdo’s!

Posted on May 5, 2016 by tandem in love

to celebrate mother’s day week, olive and i went to the salon and got matching hairstyles! we were so excited to get coordinating looks and this would be olive’s first time ever at a salon! yes, i have never had her hair cut and honestly, i am not sure when i will have that happen…

we went to the hair cuttery right down the street from us. it was only a few minutes away. if you need to find one closest to you, you can find a location here. they have locations throughout the midwest and east coast. what i love about this place is that it’s clean, close by, and it offers great prices for quick, stylish looks! if you are looking for a full service salon, they offer that too! as i waited to get our hair done, i noticed that they offer cuts, color, waxing, and texturing services. i also noticed a wide range of styling products on their shelf. they sell so many great salon brands! we were only there to get a cute style but i love that you don’t even have to make an appointment! our wait was minimal and when we walked in, there were several people ahead of us but it was quick to see a stylist!

i was a bit nervous over olive letting a stylist near her! she’s sooooo shy! i wanted to get my hair done first so she could see that it was ok. our stylist was so sweet and nice, actually everyone at the salon was! once my hair was done, we attempted to style olive’s hair. oooohhhhhhh, she was not having it.at.all. she screamed and cried. i coaxed her and reassured her it was ok. well, hc came to the rescue!!! he found a lollipop at the front desk and handed it to olive. yup, that did it! she stopped crying and let the stylist braid her hair with no complaints. woo hoo!

i loooooved how our hair turned out! we both had cute braided hair and it was so fun to get matching mommy and me hairdo’s! we had the best time spending it together and loved that we did something special in lieu of mother’s day. a definite special treat and bonding moment to be cherished!

of course we are posting some fun pics on our instagram account as well! if you aren’t following us yet, please do so! our ig handle is @tandeminlove! also, if you happen to head to your local hair cuttery for a fun mommy and me style {for mother’s day or any day you want to make special with your daughter{s}, make sure you hashtag your pics with #MyHCLook for a chance to be featured on hair cuttery’s blog gallery!

[pre-style]

[i love this little babe]

[getting my hair styled while olive waits patiently!]

[loving my look! i love braids!]

[my finished look]

[she finally let our stylist braid her hair! daddy came to the rescue with a lollipop!]

[so proud of my super shy girl getting her hair done]

[getting the final touches]

[our final looks!]

[all content]

[she’s so funny!]

[looooove her]

{this post was sponsored by hair cuttery ~ all opinions and stories are my own. muwah!}

xoxo

the power of love

Posted on May 3, 2016 by tandem in love

we were so looking forward to this day ~ april 23, 2016. read on to find out why.

{the day i found out our friend ande had cancer, it was like a punch in the stomach.}

i met ande years ago. i think it was around 10+ years since we first encountered one another? she was a store manager at a retail shop inside the watertower building on michigan avenue. i loved her store. i constantly shopped there. we eventually became close friends and started hanging out. we would go to each other’s parties, events, have brunches, and dinners together. whenever any one of us had a special occasion to celebrate, we would always be there for each other!

we developed a fun relationship over the years. the kind where you meet up every few months to say hello and catch up. ande eventually switched to another store in lincoln park and that became our new stomping ground. especially on a warm summer day…i loved visiting her at her store and usually, we would head out for a quick lunch date to catch up.

when i found out ande had cancer, i contacted her immediately. i wanted to let her know i was there for her if she needed anything and i was curious on many levels. throughout this ordeal…ande was the strongest person. i was amazed by her positive attitude, strength, love, and courage.

when a person is told they have cancer…their attitude can go two ways. one way can be self pity, negativity, and helplessness or it can go towards a powerful, positive, winning outlook. ande’s attitude took on the latter description. she amazed me. she inspired me. how can a person who is battling such an awful situation be so encouraging to others??!!! ande claims it was because everyone around her was so loving, supportive, and uplifted her in the most soulful ways that there was no way her spirit could go south. even during her most tough moments, there was always someone around who would lift her up and that was how she carried on and didn’t let cancer win!

fast forward many months, through many chemo treatments, and many trying days – ande received news that she beat cancer! oh my goodness!!! i was so beyond elated!

ande had told me in december {when we met up for a holiday dinner} that i needed to save the date. she said for me to mark on my calendar that april 23 would be her cancer free party. no if’s and’s or but’s about it. so i did. i saved the date for her celebration and on this day…celebrate we did!!

you are an amazing person ande. words can’t describe what an incredible human being you are! i am so fortunate to know you and to call you my friend. thank you for being you. we love you to bits! we believe in the power of love!

[logan theatre greeting]

[how horrible is this pic?? i seriously though i took a good picture. hahaha]

[selfie]

[we ate theatre food…]

[some of favorite peeps]

[the cutest little girls at the party walked around and handed out these yummy candy favors]

[loved these cute, handmade candle favors for everyone!]

[loved this little polaroid of us! it was for the guest book…so sad we couldn’t take it home.]

[giving such a heartfelt, tearful speech]

[can you spot me and rich?!]

xoxo

dinner with friends

Posted on April 28, 2016 by tandem in love

we were so excited to host a simple dinner for our friends matt and johann!

it had been awhile since we had seen them and we were so excited that they could come on over to our abode for a casual dinner. it was quite the lovely day and a perfect day to grill something and eat al fresco.

we hit the grocery store to pick up a few things for dinner and did a little prep work before they came over. we wanted it to be yummy but simple. we had a really busy spring cleaning kind of weekend and wanted the prep and clean up to be easy!

matt and johann arrived and the fun began! we love hanging out with these crazy twosome. they seriously crack me up all the time. little olive was asleep so she didn’t get to greet them right away but i forewarned them that she’s not the most social and not always in at the best mood when she wakes from a nap!

we had prepared a small appetizer plate to start with and took ourselves outside to enjoy the beautiful weather. after noshing a bit on apps and talking up a storm, hc fired up the grill and started the burgers. i went inside and prepped the rest of the meal so it was ready to serve.

we enjoyed our meal…burgers, kale salad, pasta salad, chips, and fruit. everything was delicious and perfectly light for the warm spring night. the only thing missing for me was the beer. hahaha!

olive was stirring, so i went inside to rouse her a bit more. hc and our guests relocated themselves inside and i brought olive out. she has become so difficult in saying hello! i can’t get her to just say hi…it’s like pulling teeth with this babe! she’s become so utterly shy lately!

anyhoo, i set olive up on the couch and went back into the kitchen to join in on the crazy conversations. we continued to nosh and imbibe tasty beverages {well at least the boys did!}. we had a plethora of beer and hard liquor libations to choose from. johann and i concocted old fashioned’s for him and hc. their signature drinks together!

after a bit, we served desserts and continued our conversations into the night. time seriously flew by. we had sooooo much fun with them! hours passed by and before we knew it, it was quite late for a sunday night! johann and matt gathered their belongings and said their goodbyes. olive did her best by hiding under the couch when i told her to say goodbye to her guests. oy vey!

we gave our hugs and said our goodbyes and waved our dear friends away. it was fabulous to see them and as they say, time flies when you’re having fun!

[love these two!]

[grilled burgers, kale salad, fruit, mac salad, and chips]

[i love him]

[i couldn’t choose what to serve, so i bought a variety! mmmmm]

[omg, it was like taking pics of kids…i couldn’t get them to look at the camera or stay still so i am posting this pic ’cause matt looks good. hahaha! cheering with their old fashioned’s]

xoxo

a night out

Posted on April 25, 2016 by tandem in love

yay! we had a date night with our lovely couple friends, olivia and aaron!

too much time always passes by before we can see aaron and olivia! we finally made a date and we couldn’t wait to see them! we planned on meeting up at ramen-san in chicago. my sister had suggested it and we were super interested in trying it. who doesn’t love ramen?!

it was a beautiful evening. i am loving this spring weather. it’s so great that it actually feels like spring! the past several years have been great transitions in seasons. we parked the car and walked our way to the restaurant. i love walking and especially when the temps are great and comfortable!

we got there first and were seated right away. aaron and olivia showed up just minutes later and we were so excited to see them! we settled in and right away everyone ordered drinks. i was so oblivious and didn’t even realize that they all had ordered alcoholic beverages but they had also ordered shots! whaaaaa?! our server brought their drinks and then the shots…i was so perplexed! i had no idea they were starting off the evening with shots and i found it so amusing, for some reason. i guess it has been awhile since i have gone out where the party we were with decided to do shots! does that make me old?! ahahaha!

anyhoo, we ordered a multitude delicious apps. after another round of drinks and noshing, we ordered our entrees. i asked for the kimchee ramen. oh my goodness. it was sooooooooooo good! i loved it! olivia ordered the same and she really enjoyed it too. i love spicy and boy, oh boy, it was super spicy! yum!

after eating and drinking even more, we decided to walk over to eataly to have dessert. i am always for gelato! plus, we haven’t been to an eataly since we were in nyc and i was super excited to go, since it reminded me of our trip to nyc on our one year anniversary!

it was crazy packed inside but no matter. we had the evening and we had no restraints. hc and aaron went upstairs to try different beers while olivia and i waited in a very long line to get gelato. we were having a great time catching up while we waited in line. we finally got our order and went upstairs to find the boys. we literally walked in circles and couldn’t find them. we finally found them in a nook of a restaurant and we settled in to eat our gelato, whilst the boys continued to drink.

we sat around for a bit and the question came up on whether we continued the night or called it a night. i felt so guilty because of course i am pregnant and i always, always miss olive. i really do. i was tired and didn’t mind if we headed home. i hated that it all weighed in on me! but no matter, aaron was a good sport about it and olivia didn’t care.

we walked out and walked towards our separate destinations together. once we hit our point of different directions, we said our goodbyes and headed home. it was such a fabulous evening. i had so much fun hanging out with them! they’re a few of my favorite peeps! we love these two cats and i hope not too much time flies by before we see them again!!!

[mmmmmmm]

[seriously?! i had no clue they ordered shots, but that’s what happens when your pregnant and not included.]

[my best friend]

[kimchi ramen….so stinkin’ gooooood]

[love these two!]

[we got gelato after dinner at eataly! so good!]

[so fresh! i loved perusing around]

[agreed]

xoxo

hc’s birthday!

Posted on April 22, 2016 by tandem in love

happy birthday to the best husband everrrrrrrrrrr!

we had a very low key celebration on his actual birthday but we had a very chill weekend as well. hc requested it so i obliged. we just ordered in and relaxed. of course i decorated and got him the cuuuuutest cake ever!

the night before his birthday, i had snuck home balloons and left them out in the garage. i know he falls asleep so early every single night so i took advantage of that and decorated the kitchen with banners and balloons so he would wake up to a festive, fun kitchen in honor of his day! i wrote him a card and had made him a cutesy crown because he is king on this day!

when hc came home from work…his choice of food was pizza! so, we ordered in and just sat around enjoying each other’s company. olive was very pleased at the idea of pizza! she was so hungry that when the pizza man came and delivered our meal, she ran around screaming, “pizza! mmmmm, pizza!” hahahaha. she’s become such a funny gal! we loooooove her so much.

after dinner, we lit a birthday candle and sang happy birthday to hc. although, olive thought we were singing happy birthday to her! ha! we tried to get her to blow out the candle with hc but she wanted nothing to do with it. of course, after hc blew out the candle and i was about to throw it away, she yelled that she wanted to blow out the candle. so i relit it and she did an excellent job blowing it out on her own! that’s olive for you…she will tell you one thing and then change her mind in two seconds or it’s just a toddler thing. eep!

anyhoo, we had such a wonderful time celebrating hc’s birthday! it was filled with love and laughter, just the way it should be.

happy birthday to the best husband, father, and man in this entire world. you are the kindest, most loving, caring, sweet, and giving man. life is truly complete with you in my world.

[very true]

[best babe]

[cupcake cake indeed]

[going in for the kiss]

[she didn’t want to blow out the candle, but as soon as i said that dada could, she was like yeah! and pushed him towards it! ha!]

xoxo

brunch with my girls

Posted on April 19, 2016 by tandem in love

gosh. it’s been awhile since i have posted. i have been so tired. olive digressed in her sleeping patterns last week and i was wiped out. but per typical preggo fashion, i do post less when i am with child. i did the same thing with olive and now history repeats itself! i have been very low key overall and not going out much, but i have no energy or time to write many if any posts of late! eep!

well, i was super excited to have finally made plans with kt and karen. i love these two ladies. they are two peas in a pod and the sweetest ladies around. i have know these two beauties for quite some time now. karen and i have know each other for a ridiculous amount of time and i have know kt for 10+ years now? well, i always say, keep the good peeps around, it definitely makes life fuller!

our get together almost turned into a debacle. we had planned on meeting up for a bit now but then all sorts of things came up. karen and her mom had plans to visit their friend annie and her new baby girl and kt had a last minute doctor’s appointment that she had to schedule and then there was me, who couldn’t go out in the late afternoon because that would interfere with olive’s nap. haha! oh life. you’re so complicated sometimes!

we ended up agreeing and meeting up for brunch! yay! so, in the end, it all worked out. we had such a great time catching up. i love these two gals! it’s amazing where life had taken us and where we are going. what i love most about our relationships is that no matter how much time comes between us, we always feel like no time has passed.

[aren’t they the prettiest?!]

[love this babe]

[working hard]

xoxo

hoppy easter

Posted on April 1, 2016 by tandem in love

it turned out to be a really nice morning and afternoon. we were expecting rain all day, well at least in my mind i was. i didn’t check the weather report what so ever and i only remembered seeing rain in the forecast and thinking, ‘bummer…it’s going to rain on sunday and we can’t do an easter egg hunt outside’. well, i was wrong and i should have checked the weather report again! eep!

my morning was way too chaotic and it shouldn’t have been. it definitely should have been more relaxing but i am a glutton for punishment, aren’t i? i cram in too much stuff and it could have been a lot more low key and chill. thank goodness hc is so understanding of my madness and puts up with my shenanigans, as always.

we finally got ready and over the river and through the woods, off to grandmother’s house we go {literally}! we arrived to a full house and olive was grumper mcgrumps, just waking up from a nap. she looked so stinkin’ adorable in her easter outfit and i was excited for her to show it off! so cute! i held the babes for awhile, until she became comfortable to venture out on her own.well, thank goodness aunt missy lured her in with a gift and distracted her!

aunt missy presented olive with her easter basket and she was smitten. olive was loving all the goodies aunt missy had given her and that really lifted her spirits. olive also really loved staying in papa’s room. she loved all the ‘toys’, the choo choo train, and watching t.v. on his bed!

we mingled and visited with everyone. we had lunch and continued to socialize with the family until it was time to leave. we had to head out to our second engagement of the day, dinner with my famille!

[my little babe enjoying her easter basket from aunt missy]

[i can’t get enough of this cutie in her easter outfit]

[the ubiquitous jello mold]

[happy easter!]

[having fun with gramma!]

we headed out to meet up with famille and now, it was raining. yuck. we made decent time and of course, olive did her famous – i will fall asleep 10-15 minutes before we get to our destination and wake up to be super grumpy. as usual, she met her end of the deal and was crazy grumpy. ugh. my poor family always gets the bad end of the stick with this gal. we usually meet my parents or family for dinner and it is always right after a nap. olive is no happy camper when she wakes up and acts like a mad little person for at least an hour. gah!

anyhoo, we really enjoyed our time together. it was nice because the restaurant was quiet and we literally had our own little nook in the corner. it almost felt like we were in a private space. we ate, imbibed tasty beverages, and enjoyed our relaxing dinner together on this cozy easter evening.

it was a perfect way to end the day. it was a bit hectic and exhausting but always so worth it to see both sides of our family! it was a happy easter indeed!

[thuy and reagan]

[so typical]

[mom and dad]

[thuy and olive]

[oh these bro’s]

[olive is too busy texting to say cheese]

[mr. bennett can sleep anywhere]

[nobody puts baby in a corner]

[i love this face]

[i had to squeeze in a few photos of olive opening up her easter basket from auntie thuy]

[her face lit up when she saw the tinker bell toy!]

[she loved, loved, loved her tinker bell toy from auntie thuy!]

xoxo

we do love target

Posted on March 25, 2016 by tandem in love

i love my days with olive. the days that are lazy, relaxing, and we don’t have an agenda. these are the best kind of days. we love making trips to target; olive has become so keen on going. it’s too cute!

she loves to visit the target dog every.single.time. she knows exactly where he is and when we are heading in that direction. the funny thing is, she won’t sit on the bench with him. nope. not her jam but she definitely loves to say hello and touch his paws. when i tell her it’s time to go, she says, “bye doggie, bye!”.

we love to walk all the aisles, see what’s new, and definitely buy stuff we don’t need. isn’t that what everyone does when they go to target? you go in for milk and come out with too many things you think you need!

i am so loving olive right now. her personality is shining through and i love how funny, quirky, and comical she is. she completely entertains me! i love watching her and the new and funny things she does and says. her movements just melt my heart!

we frequent target so much that many of the workers know olive and know her by name. we spend way too much time there, it’s just so much fun! especially now, because she loves to play and play and play. that is what takes so long! she will explore, play hide and seek, and go ‘shopping’. she loves to look at everything but so far {’cause mama doesn’t buy her anything} she is so good at putting everything back when i tell her to. gosh…how long with that last?! i hope awhile!!!!

anyhoo, we love our lazy days together. i just love spending my time with this little lady! she is so much fun. cheers to silly, quality time together!

[i am really sad that target just got rid of these open carts and replaced it with with really high, bulky seats. olive loved these carts]

[her usual routine, saying hit to the target dog]

[she loves to play hide and seek in the clothes racks]

[peek a boo]

[she was having so much fun!]

[she’s so sweet]

xoxo

tandem in love

{life is truly beautiful and it should be celebrated + shared.}

Category Archives: c’est la vie

r’s first communion

dana’s bridal shower

mommy and me hairdo’s!

the power of love

dinner with friends

a night out

hc’s birthday!

brunch with my girls

hoppy easter

we do love target